Tea Partiers vs. Ron Paul

Dave Weigel notes primary challenges to Ron Paul from Tea Party movement Republicans, whose fervent populist anti-government rhetoric seemed clearly in the beginning at least derived from the sort of energy Ron Paul revved up in his 2008 presidential big. Weigel explains, starting with a quote from a Dallas Morning News report.

Tea Party associations aside, many of the challengers’ criticisms echo concerns of Paul’s past opponents: that he is too focused on his national ambitions; that his views are too extreme; that he doesn’t support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; that he votes “no” on everything, including federal aid for his district after Hurricane Ike.

“The word I keep hearing is ‘ineffective,’ ” said [challenger John] Gay, a school business administrator. “This district is not really being represented as it could be.”

The criticism is, to say the least, ironic. Almost nothing that Paul does cuts against the rhetoric of the Tea Party movement that is mentioned most in the press: responsible spending and adherence to the Constitution. But some of it does cut against the priorities of national security conservatives and partisan Republicans.